Eduard crossed his arms. “You think it’s someone from the family and not a rival?”
“It’s an inside job.” I inclined my head. “Someone on the inside poisoned Yulia. An outsider couldn’t have gotten that close. Now, they tried to kill Zoella, too.”
“Why?” Isaak leaned forward. “What’s the motive? Why would they target the Carter sisters?”
Rurik answered, his voice cold, “That remains a mystery, it seems. It could be the sisters are not the target, but me and Matvey.”
I bobbed my head in agreement. That was the only logical conclusion I’d been able to come up with as well.
“One thing is certain: Whoever’s behind it is declaring war and hiding in the shadows,” I said. “We need to find out who it is.”
Damien nodded. “Then we need to start hunting.”
Isaak drew on his cigarette, exhaling slowly. “What do you want now?”
“I want blood,” I replied.
The room fell silent once more.
None of them argued.
Because they understood me. They understood that I did not make threats.
I made promises.
Chapter 23 – Zoella
It started with the sounds of ocean waves crashing against the seashore, before the loud caws of seagulls echoed across the sky. The sun was out, scorching hot, and surprisingly warm at the same time.
The rest of the world was a blur as I stood at a corner, felt the salty breeze run through my hair, and dug my toes deeper into the warm sand. Everything was going great, and the scenery seemed beautiful, until a beautiful figure appeared on the shore, treading through the sand like Poseidon, in all his glory.
Only, he looked a thousand times hotter than the Greek god, with a body sculpted by the best sculptors they had in Olympus. I didn’t get a good look at his face, but whoever crafted him was surely wide awake, giving him all those good edges and forms. I doubt Zeus had enough patience to make this one.
I moved toward this handsome figure, waving my hands above my head like a madwoman to get his attention. But the breeze grew stronger and stronger,until it became a mighty rushing wind, pushing me farther away from the sound of oceans, the caws of excited birds. But most importantly, away from him.
Suddenly, I jerked awake on the bed and regretted it a second later. The immediate headache that exploded seemed like it was on a revenge mission.
“Shit!”
Curse Poseidon.
Surrounding me in the quiet room were fluttering gauzy curtains, floating through the air like performing ribbons.Surprise, surprise. It was breezy outside.And warm sunlight slipped through windows, dusting the edges of the villa in quiet warmth.
I lay back on a pillow and leaned into the fluffiness to manage my headache. After a short moment, the ache subsided, but the pain was still ever-present. I took a peek at the cuts on my arm. They were cleaned and bandaged, but beneath my skin, I felt the dull throbs from the bruises.
Bits and pieces of flashbacks began to come together. The masked man. Ricochets of bullets flying across the air. The attack.
Instinctively, I traced the curve of my belly and held my breath as a silent reassurance to tell myself my baby was okay. In a rush, I was swept up in a rollercoaster of emotions—first panic, then confusion. Fear gripped me in a way I didn’t think possible, and I cursed out the first unintelligent thing that came to mind while I tried hard not to cry.
And somewhere beneath my armor, I was relieved that I escaped that horror story in one piece, but knew that, even if I was safe for now, the world around me was still haunting and dark.
How long would it take before I finally got rid of the haunting trauma from that night? Honestly, I wasn’t sure.
But what mattered now was taking care of myself for the sake of my baby. My baby’s well-being was my utmost priority.
I peeled back the covers and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, stretching once, before standing.
I hadn’t even stepped out of the bedroom, but I could feel the eerie stillness in the house.
